Kerala’s hidden gems

While the battle for votes rages on and parties slug it out to win the publicrsquos approval at any cost two artists from Thrissur in Kerala are quietly working on art that has won them praises from the people and the politicians alikemidday met one of them 58yearold Sreekumar P at his residence on Ambalur Road The house resembles a museum or an art gallery with handmade pieces of art dotting the rooms all over A bullock cart with moving wheels and a brake to stop it a paddy measure a lamp a model of a mosque models of musical instruments and portraits of politicians like former President APJ Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Narendra ModiWhat sets his art apart however is the material he uses coconut leaf sticks hay coconut leaves and dry sticks which he collects from his own backyard as well as the homes of his neighbours shaped and held together with glueldquoI started doing this around 30 years agordquo says the selftaught artist ldquoInitially my family members were irritated at me spending nights working on my art Irsquod be up till early morning as I would make these models after I came home from work Today my wife makes coffee for me to stay awake and personally ensures that all my creations are dust freerdquoSreekumar Prsquo with his model of the COVID19 virus PicAtul KambleHe adds that though he has a fertile imagination he also relies on memory to recall an image that may serve as his next work The mosque for example is one that he saw in a photograph He also makes artwork connected to current issues like a model of the COVID19 virus that he made for the Kerala Health Department to help spread awarenessSreekumar recently made a portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which he handed over to the PMO The very next day he received two calls from the PMO asking about his art work time spent on making the portrait and other details He has also received a letter of appreciation from Kalam and has won awards for his work as wellldquoI told the PMO about my wish for a village artisan museum in Thrissur There are many artists like me who use materials found in the villages to make exquisite artworks If a museum is made to house their works it would make their works accessible to many If the government makes the museum visits a ticketed entry the money from the proceeds can easily be used to provide more work to the artists Not only that but artists could be ensured a regular income and the government could consider providing a pension to artistsrdquo Sreekumar saysSreekumar is also a lyricist and wrote a welcome song sung for Modi when the PM visited Kerala that was sung by singer Vaikom Vijayalakshmi ldquoI have not focused on writing lyrics for films as that is a timeconsuming process Kerala has over 100 artists like me No government supports us When I told Modi the need to build a museum to showcase the art of village artisans and expressed my wish for a museum for our art works Modi understood itrdquoThe other artist we meet is Shijin T Santhosh 25 currently pursuing a Masterrsquos degree in Graphic Design at the International School of Creative Arts ISCA in Ernakulam Kerala Santhosh created a miniature model of the Vande Bharat train which reached Modi through the BJP candidate for Thrissur cine actor Suresh Gopi during his last election campaign in KunnamKulam Thrissur on April 15 Santosh is proficient in drawing painting sculpting and miniature modelling and was inspired by his late fatherldquoMy father Santhosh Kumar was a retired Indian Air Force personnel who specialized in crafting aircraft models He conducted workshops and classes on modelmaking in various educational institutions after his retirement in 2022 and I accompanied him learning the craft firsthand My fatherrsquos guidance led me to create my first miniature model a KSRTC Bus followed by cars and eventually the Vande Bharat Trainrdquo he saysThe Vande Bharat model was made using foam sheet shirt buttons pen caps springs insulation tape and printed stickers for the trainrsquos logo It was affixed on a track made from foam sheet and the total expense came up to Rs 4000 ldquoI am thrilled with Suresh Gopi sirrsquos enthusiasm and commitment to deliver the model to the Prime Ministerrdquo he said Santhosh however is still waiting for a response from the PMO about his work